


Every Shadow is a Memory

by BridgetMcKennitt



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Bonding, Family, House Cleaning, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-06 02:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6733621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BridgetMcKennitt/pseuds/BridgetMcKennitt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're an adult, Hikaru. I can't have a better relationship with your mother than you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Every Shadow is a Memory

Mitsuko shouldn't have been surprised that her son wasn't the one on the other side of the door as she answered the knocking, but his friend, Touya Akira. No, not friend. Hikaru was twenty years old and she could admit that Touya was more than a friend to Hikaru. This was her son's partner. She smiled at him and stepped aside to let him into the house.

He bowed to her as he entered the house. "My apologizes, Shindou-san. Hikaru is caught up at the Go Institute, so I offered to come in his place instead."

"Thank you, Touya. You're very thoughtful." Mitsuko offered Touya some guest slippers before they headed upstairs. "I'm afraid it's just the two of us for today and there's lots of heavy items."

"That's okay, Shindou-san. I'm a lot stronger than I look."

Her son's partner was a good man, and so much more politer than her son. She thanked him as they entered Hikaru's old room. When Hikaru officially moved out, she and her husband used the room for storage. Now they were putting the house on the market and moving into a small apartment which meant they had to downsize their things to fit into their new home.

Touya didn't complain as they began hauling things out into the large container that would be towed away at a later date. They worked together in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Touya didn't complain about getting sweaty or dirty, something Mitsuko knew Hikaru would have done if he'd been there.

Once Hikaru's old room was halfway cleared out, Mitsuko called a halt to their activities for lunch.

"I'll make us some lunch, Touya."

"Thank you, Shindou-san. How can I help you?" Touya asked as they headed into the kitchen.

It was odd that this man was dating her son. They seemed so different from each other. She knew they met while in junior high through something Go related, but Hikaru was never particularly forthright about the details. She didn't understand Go and Hikaru's life surrounding the game, but she wanted to understand her son's partner, someone else who also belonged in that same mysterious world.

"Touya," she said as she turned away from the meat she was cooking to look at him. "How do your parents feel about Hikaru?"

Touya paused from scooping rice out of the rice cooker. "They like Hikaru. My father is a Go pro who currently travels back and forth between Japan, Korea, and China to play Go, and he's known of Hikaru since Hikaru turned pro." He shook his head as he smiled softly. "My father said he was proud I brought another Go pro into the family. It's far more sentimental than I expected out of him."

"That's good."

She hadn't known that about Touya. Mitsuko wondered if Hikaru prefered Touya's family over his own because at least he could talk about Go with Touya's father. Go was such an important part of Hikaru's life and she had never understood any of it. It almost seemed like it was too late to learn when it was obvious how much she wasn't a part of Hikaru's life. Still, here was Touya helping her with moving and cleaning, and he was her son's partner. He was such an important part of Hikaru's life, just as Go was to Hikaru, and Touya didn't seem to mind being here. The few times Hikaru brought Touya over to the house, Touya was polite and friendly towards her, just like he was now.

Perhaps, if she didn't have a motherly relationship with Hikaru, she could have a motherly relationship with Touya. And perhaps, in the future, Touya could help mend her relationship with Hikaru. She almost wanted to laugh at the ridiculous nature of her thoughts, but stranger things had happened, after all. Who would have ever thought that her son would make a living, and a good one at that, from playing a board game? Or even have a loving relationship with another man? The universe was full of mysteries.

Touya helped her set the table and they sat down to eat lunch. They said their thanks before digging in. As Mitsuko chewed on some rice, she thought about how to strengthen her relationship with, for all intents and purposes, her son-in-law. She knew he was as obsessed with Go as much as Hikaru was, probably more so if his own father was a Go pro, which meant that wasn't something she could talk about to connect with him. So what could she use instead as a bridge?

"This is delicious, Shindou-san. Thank you for making lunch."

"It wasn't a problem at all. It's the least I can do since you're doing me a huge favor by helping me empty out Hikaru's old room."

"It was my pleasure. I'm always happy to help." He met her gaze and Mitsuko was somewhat taken aback by the intensity lurking in his eyes. Was this fire the reason why Hikaru was attracted to Touya in the first place? "You are Hikaru's mother, and by extension, my mother as well. I would gladly help you with whatever you need." He averted his gaze. "I'd like to think that you think of me as a son, but it's okay if you don't. My relationship with Hikaru isn't exactly a normal one."

"Well, Hikaru hasn't exactly been normal for most of his life." Mitsuko was pleased when Touya smiled at her joke as Hikaru tended to roll his eyes at her jokes. Yes, she could think of Touya as her second son. It wouldn't be hard to imagine such a polite boy as one of hers. "Touya, I'd be honored to consider you as a son of mine."

"Thank you. You may call me Akira if you'd like."

"Akira. Please call me mom as well." Mitsuko reached across the table and placed it on top of Akira's hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Tell me, Akira. What other things do you enjoy besides Go? I'm afraid I don't quite understand Go at all."

"I can teach you, if you'd like. It'd be my pleasure. Besides Go, I enjoy looking at beautiful scenery. I rarely get to enjoy the sights when I'm traveling for work because our games are played indoors, usually in windowless rooms."

"Oh yes, Hikaru has mentioned the places the both of you have traveled. They sound wonderful." An idea occurred to her. "Perhaps I can help with that. We have a stack of image books of locations around Japan. If you'd like, you could take them with you."

Akira smiled and half bowed at the waist. "That sounds lovely, thank you."

They finished their lunch and Akira helped wash the dishes before they continued clearing out the upstairs. As she swept the floor, her broom brushed against a large box. It wasn't labeled, so she bent down to open it to see what was inside. At the sight of it, she let out a small chuckle. It was this lump of a statue that Hikaru had made when he first started school. She couldn't remember what exactly it was supposed to be, but she remembered how excited Hikaru was when he presented the statue to her, big grin and everything. Mitsuko kept the statue in the living room for the longest time until it was Hikaru who boxed it away himself. She had forgotten it was even in their possession until now.

"What is that?" Akira asked as he came up behind her.

Mitsuko lifted the statue out of the box and showed it to Akira. "Hikaru made this for me when he was a child. Would you like to have it?"

Akira's eyes widened and she tried not to smile at that. He gave her a slight bow. "Thank you. I'd be honored to have it. I even know where exactly in our home I'd place it."

"Oh?"

Akira nodded. "Yes." There was a slow grin on his face. "I have a plan for it."

She chuckled, not wanting to know what Akira had planned for the statue and Hikaru. Mitsuko remembered the few times she looked at Go magazines to find news about Hikaru and there was usually an aside about the legendary arguments between Hikaru and Akira. Her son was so stubborn, so that wasn't a surprise, but Akira seemed too polite to shout like Hikaru did. Then again, the two of them had been together for a few years now. It wasn't impossible that her son rubbed off on Akira.

Mitsuko handed the statue to Akira. "Enjoy."

*

Akira returned to the apartment with the statue tucked away in a bag. Hikaru wasn't going to arrive home until at least an hour from now, so he had time. He set the statue down on the table and chuckled at the sight of it. He wasn't even certain what it was supposed to be, but he knew it was going to get a rise out of Hikaru when he came home.

A few years of being together with Hikaru had left him a bit more loosened up from the prim and proper boy he once was. Now he enjoyed teasing Hikaru every once in awhile. "That's what you get for avoiding helping your mother with an errand, Hikaru." He didn't know why Hikaru had a strained relationship with his mother, but he liked Hikaru's mother. Akira had no problems with her being his mother-in-law, in a manner of speaking, since they weren't married.

Akira went into the kitchen to make ramen for dinner. He was just about done when he heard the door open and Hikaru entered the apartment.

"Hey, Akira! I'm back," Hikaru said as he walked into the kitchen and kissed Akira on the cheek. "Are you making ramen?"

Akira nodded. "Just for you. Your mother says hi, by the way."

Hikaru rubbed the back of his neck as he gave Akira a sheepish grin. "Thanks for going over there to help her out. I feel pretty bad, but I couldn't get out of today's event."

"It wasn't a problem at all. She even gave me some souvenirs as thanks."

"Oh?" Hikaru opened the cupboard to pull down some bowls. "What's that?"

"Books of beautiful Japanese locations for one thing, but also something very special. It's in the bag on the table. You should take a look at it."

"Oh? Okay." Hikaru placed the bowls on the table before peering inside the bag. "What the hell is that?" Akira watched the expression on Hikaru's face as it turned sour. " I remember this. Seriously, Akira? You _wanted_ this?" He reached into the bag to pull out the statue.

Akira nodded as he gave Hikaru his most serious expression. "Of course I did. It was something you made before I ever met you and your mother told me you were so proud of it. Why shouldn't we have it displayed in our apartment? When your friends come over to play Go, you can show it off to them."

Hikaru scowled as he placed the statue down. "It's because of today, isn't it?"

"You know it was." Akira walked towards Hikaru and laced their hands together. "You're an adult, Hikaru. I can't have a better relationship with your mother than you."

"Why not? Your parents like me better." Akira rolled his eyes at Hikaru's smirk. "Okay, _fine_. I'll go visit my mom next week and have lunch with her. Happy?"

"Almost." He squeezed Hikaru's hand. "So what is this supposed to be? Your mother doesn't know."

Hikaru's gaze slid past Akira towards the wall. "Uh," and the next few words were mumbled under his breath.

"What?"

"It's me! It was supposed to be me. I was in that phase where I thought I could be an artist and I realized later that'd never happen. But that's fine because I'm a really good Go player."

"If it wasn't for Go, we would have never met, so I don't mind at all. Now come on, let's eat some ramen before it gets cold." Akira kissed Hikaru on the lips before they sat down to eat. He glanced at the statue before smiling down at his bowl. Hikaru definitely wasn't an artist.


End file.
